Before the Gong
by Wintermoth
Summary: Marina, the tribute of District 4, just before the beginning of the 74th Hunger Games. Written by request of Rowan for Panem October - info on that inside.


**So, I'm sure many of you Hunger Games fans know of PanemOctober. It was promising to be such a great site. :( Well before they closed down, they had applications/auditions for people to roleplay the various characters. I was chosen. I was made into a l'Cie to - wait. Wrong fandom. *eheheh*  
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**They picked me to be a role player and told me to pick two people I wanted to be. I requested to play Clove or the girl from 4 - they called her Marina. One of my works I submitted was in Clove's point of view so they knew how I wrote her so Rowan asked me to write from Marina's POV directly before the Games, up until the gong rings. This is what I submitted.**

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><p>I've never liked the dark.<p>

I'm more of a sunlight girl. Being from District 4, I really have to be.

It's dark in this tunnel. Dark and narrow. I close my eyes tight, taking long, deep breaths to keep myself calm. I have to appear ready when I surface in the arena.

I can feel myself ascending rapidly. I wonder just how far underground the Launch Room was. It can't be too long now. I wonder what kind of arena I will be thrown into. I hope there's a lot of water—heheh, maybe I'll be able to drown the Girl on Fire!

I've been in this thing for what seems likes forever, but is probably only a few seconds… I hate the dark. How much longer is this going to last? I open my eyes and look up. Oh, not far. I can see the light at the top. Ah, finally. The plate pushes me into the arena and I hear it click as it locks into place.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" booms the voice of Claudius Templesmith. "Let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!"

And the countdown begins. We have sixty seconds before the gong will ring and we can begin. Step off a second early and landmines will blast you to the moon. I've seen it happen. Not pretty.

I rub my eyes quickly, trying to get them adjusted to the sudden brightness. The first thing that registers is the trees. Lots and lots of trees. Well, crabs! No, wait! Right behind me! A lake! Water! Beautiful water! And a potential weapon. Breck and I are the best swimmers in the arena. To my left is a steep drop and, from what I can see, down below is a vast green field. Birds twitter pleasantly in the trees, unaware of the bloodbath about to take place.

I turn my attention to my opponents. We're all in a circle around the golden Cornucopia in no particular order, equal distances away from it and its bounty of supplies. I can see everything from weapons to food scattered around and stacked in the pile. Good. Some years they barely provide the tributes with anything at all.

Beril, one of my mentors, words ring in my ears. _"Don't worry so much about all the other stuff before the gong rings. You'll have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery later. Your biggest concern should be identifying what's standing between you and the Cornucopia and what the Gamemakers have provided for you. There may or may not be what you want amongst the weapons. You have to try to find your swords in that pile before the gong sounds. You can't waste time looking once it starts. If they're not in there, then try to find something else you're good with."_

Not everyone is good with dual swords like I am. They require dexterity and nimbleness that not many possess. _Come on. Come on._ The Gamemakers saw how good I was. I scan the weapons by the Cornucopia, looking for the blades that I'll need to survive. Surely they wouldn't deny _me_ my very best weapons…? Oh yes! Thank Poseidon! I can see a pair of dual swords—two nicely curved blades with sleek, black handles—lying on top of some backpacks.

_Mine._

I lick my lips and try to calm my racing heart. Any second now. I lean forward, tucking a stray lock of my unruly dark hair behind my ear. Any second now….

BONG.

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><p><strong>And then I didn't hear anything else. I figured Rowan was just busy sorting out everything and then taking a break for Thanksgiving. Then...came the announcement. Imagine my horror. ...*sobs*<strong>

**Well, since I put effort into this, I decided to not just let it rot on my flash drive. So, I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot. To my regular readers: I promise I'll update The Color of Blood soon. My editor Clare's got a TCOB chapter and one of my Twilight chapters and I'm just waiting to get them back.**

**Ciao!**


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